In prior art encryption schemes a standard well-known encryption algorithm is used. The algorithm may be initialized with a seed value. This algorithm is present at both ends of a transmission path such as a wireless network.
There is an encryption key, which is randomly generated and is defined by the number of bits such as, 56 bits, 64 bits, 128 bits, 192 bits, 256 bits, 384 bits or 512 bits. The longer the key in bits, more difficult it is to break it by brute force. The key needs to be also present at both ends of the transmission path. Hence once a key is created it is exchanged between both the ends of the transmission path that is used for the wireless transmission.
At one end of the transmission path, a plain text is entered into the encryption algorithm that uses the encryption key to encrypt the file that is made up of data packets and at the other end the same key is then used to decrypt the message to get back the plain text.
In this scheme of encryption since the algorithm is standard, great care is exercised in protecting the key, in how the key is stored and safe guarded while in storage, how it is distributed or exchanged, how it is safeguarded during the distribution or exchange process, and how it is changed or re-keyed on a periodic basis such as every month on highly secure systems in military and perhaps once a year in other systems. When a wireless transmission path is used, it is easier for hackers to break the key.
Hence the security of transmissions depends upon the key and key strength in bits. However, with the increase in computer power and use of wireless as well, it has become easier to break such keys. For a while, 128 bits was considered a strong key. However, it is not now and 256 bit keys have begun to be used.
Use of wireless technology has grown in many applications. These wireless technologies use digital transmission of data packets. A digital data packet has a header and a data body. The data in the body is encrypted during transmission.
One of the popular uses of wireless transmission has been and is between a laptop computer and a wireless access point (WAP) or router to a company network or the Internet. Other uses have been between the sales terminal of a business and their central server.
Such WAPs are commonly used by businesses and in offsite locations such as airports, hotels and coffee shops as well as in homes. These uses typically operate for a few hundred meters, based on the strength of the transmission. To facilitate wide spread use and manufacture of such devices, various industry standards have been developed, such as 802.11b and 802.11g.
Another use of wireless that is emerging is the use of Bluetooth® (Bluetooth), where cell phones equipped with Bluetooth capability communicate to a wireless earpiece. Still another use is in military application such as in ad hoc mobile wireless networks in a theatre of operation. Cellular phones are another prominent use of wireless networks.
It has become well known, that others may capture and decipher private wireless transmissions to steal private information. It has become known that in spite of encryption, the hackers have been successful in stealing private transmissions. A standard called wired equivalent privacy (WEP) has been developed for these wireless transmissions. The WEP is designed to deliver the same encryption as available on a wired transmission; hence the name wired equivalent privacy.
The weaknesses that have been demonstrated are: (i) To be able to capture transmissions from very great distances using special telescopic antennas. For example, in tests conducted, wireless transmissions between laptop and WAPs, that from a user point of view are limited a few hundred feet, can be captured from as far away as 11 miles using a special antenna. Wireless transmissions using Bluetooth that from a user perspective are good for 10 to 20 feet can be captured from as far away as a city block. (ii) One of the ways of stealing private transmission have been via specially equipped roving van, which rove around city blocks to find and capture transmissions. (iii) Defeating the authentication between the user and the wireless access point and setting up rogue wireless access points between the user and the real wireless access points that redirect traffic to a spoofed access point. And (iv) breaking the encryption key, that is used for encryption. Having access to samples of plain text and encrypted text, an encryption key such as a 128-bit key is easily broken. Hence, even though the wireless transmissions are encrypted, they are still compromised by hackers.
The ease with which the security of wireless transmission has been compromised has been demonstrated both by the information security personnel of banks as well as the special agents of FBI in Information System Security Association local chapter security briefings.
Hence, it is a primary objective of this invention to have a different form of encryption scheme that does not rely on the security of wireless keys to provide security for wireless transmissions.
It is also an objective of this invention to have encryption scheme that does not rely on the security of encryption keys for providing networks that use both wireless and wired networks.